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Thread: Sometimes You Do Get What You Want

  1. #1
    Registered User Mike Buesseler's Avatar
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    Default Sometimes You Do Get What You Want

    I’ve been a Cafe member for a long time, but I’ve been away from it—and playing music—for the past 8 or 9 years. (When I left, I think Jim Garber only had 10,000 posts!) Stuff happens....

    Back in late January of this year, I picked up my only remaining mandolin, my old Gibson A, and started playing again. No callouses, lots of rust, almost like learning all over again. Must be a little bicycle in the mandolin, though. The “getting back in the saddle” curve is fast and fun. Makes one think he might get good at this—THIS time, just before his 71st birthday. Mine, that is. It could happen.

    So, I’m getting warmed up, conjuring old tunes, learning a couple new ones, and I think maybe I should reward myself with one more good mandolin in my life. I’ve had a good share of them—all but the Gibson sold. I hadn’t touched my Collings OM1A guitar for years, either, and I just didn’t have the energy to pick it back up. So, I’m thinking I should sell the guitar or trade it for an instrument I will play (a new mandolin).

    This brought me back to the Mandolin Cafe, both for the great classified ads and the enormous wealth of information on almost everything remotely related to the mandolin. I placed an ad to sell/trade the guitar, specifying what I would accept in trade—a Collings MT, MO, or something of equal value.

    I hope this is where my story gets interesting. I got several responses to my ad with trade offers for exactly what I had in mind.

    What I didn’t notice was that my wife was paying particular attention to all this. She is a retired librarian. It’s not unusual for her to get interested—very interested—in almost anything. Anyway, I was right on the verge of making a trade—my guitar for a Collings MT—when she reluctantly asked me if I would please hold off on this trade until Valentine’s Day. It didn’t take too much thinking to see where this was going. She bought me a new mandolin for V-Day. She wouldn’t say anything else, so I began to wonder what in the world I was in for. I emailed the people who had offered trades and I waited, with fingers crossed.

    On Feb 14, I got to open a very sturdy box from The Music Emporium. A brand new gloss-top, torrefied Collings MT, exactly the mandolin I was looking for! She somehow contacted a great guy from the Cafe (thank you, Tim!) and got all the help she needed to get the right instrument. I was—and still am—blown away by this fine instrument. It is beautiful and almost plays itself (but, unfortunately still sounds like me playing).

    Amazing, right!?! But, wait...there’s more.

    After a week, or so, I started thinking how I still had a fine guitar I wasn’t playing...and still had some good trade offers outstanding. So, after careful consideration, I traded the guitar for a like-new Collings Black-face MTO! (Thank you, Michael!)

    I am now the very proud owner of two Collings mandolins, both wide-nut, both beautiful. It is so very cool to have these almost identical, but very different sounding, mandolins! I feel lucky and rich! Oh happy day!

    I considered posting pictures of my fraternal twin mandos, but anyone can find them online. This post is sort of ridiculously long, sorry.
    Last edited by Mike Buesseler; Jun-09-2019 at 6:29pm.

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  3. #2
    Orrig Onion HonketyHank's Avatar
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    Default Re: Sometimes You Do Get What You Want

    Nice story. And welcome back.
    New to mando? Click this link -->Newbies to join us at the Newbies Social Group.

    Just send an email to rob.meldrum@gmail.com with "mandolin setup" in the subject line and he will email you a copy of his ebook for free (free to all mandolincafe members).

    My website and blog: honketyhank.com

  4. #3

    Default Re: Sometimes You Do Get What You Want

    Welcome Back
    MAS Fund.......Up and running again

  5. #4
    Registered User Eric Platt's Avatar
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    Default Re: Sometimes You Do Get What You Want

    Welcome back. And enjoy both those Collings.
    Brentrup Model 23, Boeh A5 #37, Gibson A Jr., Big Muddy M-11, Coombe Classical flattop, Strad-O-Lin
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  6. #5
    Registered User Mike Buesseler's Avatar
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    Default Re: Sometimes You Do Get What You Want

    Thank you, folks! I forgot to mention how much I missed this community. This website, the people who run it (thank you, Scott!), and the folks who contribute their expertise and opinions here are just the best. It is such a great respite from so much of the rest of the Internet. It’s good to be back.

  7. #6
    F5G & MD305 Astro's Avatar
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    Default Re: Sometimes You Do Get What You Want

    Love this story. But, sorry, pictures still required.
    No matter where I go, there I am...Unless I'm running a little late.

  8. #7
    Registered User Mike Buesseler's Avatar
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    Default Re: Sometimes You Do Get What You Want

    Well, now I have to figure out how to post photos...

  9. #8
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    Default Re: Sometimes You Do Get What You Want

    Quote Originally Posted by Mike Buesseler View Post
    Well, now I have to figure out how to post photos...
    If you look at the area where you would be writing this, or rather your response, the third icon from the right if you hold your cursor above it will say "add image". Click on that and you will be able to add a pic,
    THE WORLD IS A BETTER PLACE JUST FOR YOUR SMILE!

  10. #9
    Registered User Mike Buesseler's Avatar
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    Default Re: Sometimes You Do Get What You Want

    Click image for larger version. 

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    My new twins.

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  12. #10
    Registered User wildpikr's Avatar
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    Default Re: Sometimes You Do Get What You Want

    Nice looking duo you have there...and kudos to your wife for her thoughtfulness in giving you a great gift!
    Mike

    Those who think they should think, like they think others think they should think, need to think out their thinking, I think.

    No envejecemos, maduramos. -Pablo Picasso

  13. #11
    Registered User Timbofood's Avatar
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    Default Re: Sometimes You Do Get What You Want

    That’s the kind of story that is just nice to read!!
    Sounds like you and I married virtually the same amazing woman! My wife does things totally unexpected from time to time. She would most likely not buy me a Mandolin but, one never knows.
    Many happy hours of musical enjoyment are in your future.
    Timothy F. Lewis
    "If brains was lard, that boy couldn't grease a very big skillet" J.D. Clampett

  14. #12
    Registered User Mike Buesseler's Avatar
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    Default Re: Sometimes You Do Get What You Want

    It is very cool to have two dimensionally identical mandolins that sound so vastly different—at least to me. I sometimes play one for my sweet wife from a slight distance where she can’t see me and make her guess which one I’m playing. She always gets it right.

    When I related my story to the folks who had made me trade offers, several wrote back to ask if my wife had any sisters!

  15. #13
    Registered User wildpikr's Avatar
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    Default Re: Sometimes You Do Get What You Want

    Now you're right in the middle of the ff hole vs/oval hole debate with a first hand comparison...cool!
    Mike

    Those who think they should think, like they think others think they should think, need to think out their thinking, I think.

    No envejecemos, maduramos. -Pablo Picasso

  16. #14
    Mando-Afflicted lflngpicker's Avatar
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    Default Re: Sometimes You Do Get What You Want

    Hi Mike, I have a gloss top wide nut A5 like yours and it is a dream to play. Great to have you back, especially since you pre-dated me.

  17. #15
    Registered User Mike Buesseler's Avatar
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    Default Re: Sometimes You Do Get What You Want

    Quote Originally Posted by lflngpicker View Post
    Hi Mike, I have a gloss top wide nut A5 like yours and it is a dream to play. Great to have you back, especially since you pre-dated me.
    Thanks, Dan. I owned a Collings MF for awhile. Great mandolin, wish I’d kept it. But this MT is the sweetest playing mandolin I’ve owned.

    The MTO was used when I got it. Excellent condition, but I struggled with it, and couldn’t figure out why. Same size, same neck, same strings, same fine workmanship. I was half thinking about selling it, but I started reading threads here about set-up, etc, and finally got busy on it just last week. I took the strings off, got out a straight edge, adjusted the truss rod, lightly filed and polished the frets, strung ‘er back up and immediately fell in love all over again! What a lesson! SET UP IS SOOO IMPORTANT!

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  19. #16
    Registered User Mike Buesseler's Avatar
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    Default Re: Sometimes You Do Get What You Want

    Quote Originally Posted by wildpikr View Post
    Now you're right in the middle of the ff hole vs/oval hole debate with a first hand comparison...cool!

    And what a sweet place to be!!! I don’t know what the debate is about. If you’re not into one or the other, so be it. I play (at) a wide variety of music. Both mandolins sound wonderful, play about the same, but each has it’s own character. If I had to choose one, it would have to the MT, mostly because my wife picked it out for me. But, I don’t have choose (lucky me!), thank goodness!

  20. #17

    Default Re: Sometimes You Do Get What You Want

    So, the obvious question is, what are you getting for a third mandolin?
    Silverangel A
    Arches F style kit
    1913 Gibson A-1

  21. #18

    Default Re: Sometimes You Do Get What You Want

    Quote Originally Posted by Mike Buesseler View Post
    My new twins.
    Those are 2 gorgeous mandolins! But the real beauty is your wife!
    Enjoy!

  22. #19
    Mando accumulator allenhopkins's Avatar
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    Default Re: Sometimes You Do Get What You Want

    Quote Originally Posted by Br1ck View Post
    So, the obvious question is, what are you getting for a third mandolin?
    I hear Collings makes nice mandolas...
    Allen Hopkins
    Gibsn: '54 F5 3pt F2 A-N Custm K1 m'cello
    Natl Triolian Dobro mando
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    Sobell'dola Washburn b-back'dola
    Eastmn: 615'dola 805 m'cello
    Flatiron 3K OM

  23. #20
    Registered User Mike Buesseler's Avatar
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    Default Re: Sometimes You Do Get What You Want

    Quote Originally Posted by Br1ck View Post
    So, the obvious question is, what are you getting for a third mandolin?
    I still have my 1920 Gibson A....

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